Psychiatric Center Supervisor Held in Man's Death

By ANDY NEWMAN

Published: August 4, 2011

Updated, 1:49 p.m. | A supervisor at a state-run psychiatric center on Staten Island surrendered to the police on Wednesday to face homicide charges in the death of a 27-year-old man who was asphyxiated while being restrained last December, the authorities said.

The supervisor, Erik Stanley, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Wednesday on charges of criminally negligent homicide and endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person for the death of Jawara Henry, 27, the Staten Island district attorney's office said.

Mr. Stanley, 37, of Middletown, N.J., was a developmental aide supervisor at South Beach Psychiatric Center on Dec. 4 when Mr. Henry, who was severely autistic but had no history of violent outbursts, became unruly and bit two other patients, the authorities have said.

As employees waited for a doctor's authorization to medicate Mr. Henry, the authorities have said, he became aggressive; three workers restrained him on a hallway floor, holding down his arms and legs, and Mr. Henry soon stopped breathing and died. The coroners ruled the cause of death as ''asphyxiation due to chest and neck compression.''

An investigation by the district attorney's office found that Mr. Stanely ''did not follow protocol nor use proper techniques while trying to restrain Henry on the afternoon of Dec. 4, and caused Henry's death by using excessive pressure on the patient's neck and torso.''

Mr. Stanley's next court date is Sept. 13.

This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.